5 interesting facts about the 2017 World Series

The time has come for the 113th edition of the World Series, which is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with the hometown boys in blue hosting the visiting Houston Astros.

As the teams prepare for the opener amid blistering heat, much of the spotlight is focused on superstars like Jose Altuve, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Yasiel Puig, but there are other intriguing facts even the most plugged-in baseball fans may be unfamiliar with.

Here are five tidbits you may not know about the 2017 Fall Classic.

Struggles with Cuzzi

When Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel take the hill for Game 1, both southpaws will be pitching to the strike zone of an umpire they haven't enjoyed much success with, Phil Cuzzi.

The 62-year-old Cuzzi - who's umpiring his first World Series - also went to the same New Jersey high school as Academy Award-nominated actor Joe Pesci, who's played some pretty stern characters of his own throughout his acting career.

Japanese roots

When the Dodgers advanced past the Chicago Cubs to reach their first World Series since 1988, Dave Roberts became just the fourth African-American manager to reach the Fall Classic - but his lineage lies deeper than that. The 45-year-old skipper was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, in 1972 before eventually settling in his current hometown of San Diego, Calif. Roberts' father, Waymon, was a U.S. Marine stationed in Japan when he was born.

Hernandez over Keuchel

Keuchel is the ace of the Astros' staff and one of the top left-handers in baseball, but in 2009, scouts in Houston decided seven players were better choices than the eventual Cy Young winner in the MLB draft. With their sixth-round selection, 191st overall, the Astros chose American Military Academy shortstop Enrique Hernandez, before grabbing Keuchel 30 spots later with their seventh-rounder. Two trades eventually landed Hernandez in L.A., where he's played for the past three seasons.

Mexican-American

Quick. Name one Mexican-born team member who will be present at the World Series on Tuesday? No, the answer isn't Adrian Gonzalez. While Gonzalez spends time with his family away from the Dodgers, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow will be watching as the team he turned from basement-dweller to AL champion vies for its first World Series title. Luhnow, a former engineer and entrepreneur, was born in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish.

Thrifty find

When Astros superstar Altuve squares off against Kershaw on Tuesday, it will be a battle of giants (figuratively, not literally). Things weren't always that way, however. When Altuve first tried out for the Astros in his native Venezuela, the diminutive spark plug was cut by the team because he was deemed too short to play in the big leagues. The following season, Altuve showed up again and won the franchise over to the tune of a $15,000 signing bonus. For context, Kershaw inked a $2.3-million signing bonus with the Dodgers out of high school in 2006.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)